CPM begins crucial central panel meet on nuke deal

New Delhi: With a clear message that the government should not proceed further with operationalising the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, the CPI(M) top brass began a two-day meeting here today amid signals that the government is in no mood to heed its ultimatum on the contentious issue.

The two-day Central Committee meeting of the Marxist party has to take tough decisions on how far it could go in its opposition to the government in the critical matter, amid growing apprehensions of a mid-term election.

The highest decision-making body of the party will review the chain of events on the controversial agreement with the US and is expected to chart out its strategy to deal with the situation.

The meeting comes at a time when the ruling Congress has indicated that the government will go ahead with negotiations with the IAEA in September in connection with the deal, notwithstanding Left objections.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has already warned the Congress-led coalition that it would face “serious consequences” if it went ahead with operationalising the deal.

The Vienna meet has become a subject of debate with CPI(M) insisting against any negotiations on India-specific safeguards concerning the 123 agreement, but saying that it was not against India participating in the IAEA’s General Council meeting mid-September as a member country.

The Left party is maintaining that negotiations with IAEA on the safeguards agreement would bind India in perpetuity.

The CPI(M) is the largest group among the Left parties which together has a strength of 59 members and provide crucial outside support to the Congress-led UPA which has a total strength of 245 in a House of 543.